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Review
. 2014 Jan 16;4(1):117-39.
doi: 10.3390/biom4010117.

Microbial enzymes: tools for biotechnological processes

Jose L Adrio  1 , Arnold L Demain  2
Affiliations
Review

Microbial enzymes: tools for biotechnological processes

Jose L Adrio et al. Biomolecules. .

Abstract

Microbial enzymes are of great importance in the development of industrial bioprocesses. Current applications are focused on many different markets including pulp and paper, leather, detergents and textiles, pharmaceuticals, chemical, food and beverages, biofuels, animal feed and personal care, among others. Today there is a need for new, improved or/and more versatile enzymes in order to develop more novel, sustainable and economically competitive production processes. Microbial diversity and modern molecular techniques, such as metagenomics and genomics, are being used to discover new microbial enzymes whose catalytic properties can be improved/modified by different strategies based on rational, semi-rational and random directed evolution. Most industrial enzymes are recombinant forms produced in bacteria and fungi.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Discovery and development of biocatalysts.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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